Grilled Flatbread with Figs and Roasted Garlic

Mom's birthday was this past week, and I really wanted to make her something special for dinner. Me and Toby went to Flagstaff last week for a night as a gift from my parents for our anniversary (2 years already!). The trip was relaxing and full of thunder storms and coffee, pretty much the only two things I need (and the perfect break from the Phoenix heat). Seriously, I love thunderstorms, and nothing completes them like a hot Cafe Latte Royal from Macy's, a coffee shop in Flagstaff that serves the best coffee, and awesome vegetarian and vegan food ranging from Coconut Biscotti, to the Black Bean and Quinoa Burrito we shared for dinner.

Anyways I was inspired to make mom something special for her birthday dinner and so me and Toby stopped at Trader Joe's on the way home to pick up some ingredients. I went there blindly about what I was going to create, and was immediately stopped after two steps when I spotted the most amazing Sunflowers I have ever seen. For those of you who are lucky enough to shop at Trader Joe's, you know they sell great flowers. Not only are the beyond beautiful, but they are always at a good price. Knowing that my mom's favorite flowers happen to be these Sunflowers, I put them in the cart knowing that no matter what I created for dinner, she would at least be happy about those flowers. I was scanning over the produce when I saw the most delicate fresh figs.

 I have never used or bought fresh figs, but I have been dying to use them for grilled flatbread. A couple of months ago me and Toby were out for lunch and stumbled upon a delicious caramelized onion and fig tart. Before I left the store, I grabbed a sweet onion, and some whole wheat flatbread. This recipe is a show stopper in many ways. Visually it is so pretty (I love pretty food), and the flavors are simple, yet together create a bold mix. It may seem like a lot of garlic, but when you roast garlic it actually becomes sweet. I didn't add any sugar to the onions because I bought a sweet vidalia onion, but if you are using a yellow onion you may want to add pinch of sugar to help them caramelize.

Grilled Flatbread with Figs and Roasted Garlic

I used store bought whole wheat flatbread, but if you are not pressed for time like I was try this recipe for whole wheat pizza dough which I have been dying to make!

Serves 4-6

2 whole heads of garlic
2 sweet vidalia onion
12- 16 fresh figs, ends trimmed and cut into 1/4 inch thick rounds
6-8 oz of soft goat cheese
4 whole wheat Flatbreads
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the very top off each head of garlic so that the cloves are just barely exposed. Drizzle with Olive oil, and wrap loosely in foil so that there is room for steam. Place on a cookie sheet in the oven and bake until the cloves are soft and a caramel color, about 40 minutes. It may take a bit longer depending on the size of your garlic. Once they have cooled a bit, you can pop each clove out by squeezing the garlic from the bottom (or you can use a spoon).

While the garlic is roasting, make the caramelized onions. Peel and cut the onions in half, and then each half into thin slices. Drizzle some olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Place onions in pan, and saute for about 5 minutes. season with a pinch or two of salt, and a pinch of pepper. Saute on medium low for 20-30 minutes more until they are soft and have a caramel color. Set aside.

Heat grill to medium-high heat. Lightly brush olive oil on each flatbread. Divide the onions and garlic evenly across each flatbread. Scatter the figs across each flatbread, making sure to cover the surface (you want a bite of fig in each bite!). Crumble the goat cheese on top of figs. Place each flatbread directly on the grill, and grill with the lid on until the flatbread is crispy, and the cheese has melted, about 8-10 minutes.